July 5, 2015

John David Bosch - "saintly life, pioneer services, historic contribution of institution of summer school"

John David Bosch (1855-1946)
"His saintly life, pioneer services, historic contribution of institution of summer school, entitle him to rank among outstanding figures of the closing years of heroic, and opening years of formative age of the Baha'i Dispensation. Concourse on high extol his exalted services." (Shoghi Effendi)

April 4, 2015

Dr. Youness Afroukhteh -- 'Abdu'l-Baha's secretary, translator, envoy and physician

Dr. Youness Afroukhteh, 'Abdu'l-Baha's secretary, translator, envoy and physician from 1900 to 1909

March 14, 2015

Emogene Hoagg – “exemplary pioneer (of the) Faith”; typed the voluminous manuscript of 'The Dawn-Breakers' at Shoghi Effedi’s request; first confirmed believer in California

Emogene Hoagg (1869-1945)

Henrietta Emogene Martin Hoagg - known to the Bahá'ís as Emogene - learned of the Bahá'í Faith in California in 1898 from Mrs. Phoebe Hearst, and after studying with Lua Getsinger became "the first confirmed believer in California."

In 1899, in Milan, she received her first Tablet from 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in acknowledgment of her acceptance of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh. In 1900, she visited 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Haifa, and afterwards, at His suggestion, studied for a month with the outstanding Bahá'í scholar Mirza Abdu'l-Fadl in Port Sá'íd.

February 8, 2015

Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney – “…the first Frenchman to accept the Faith”

Hippolyte Dreyfus Barney
To me, and particularly amid the storm and stress that have agitated my life after 'Abdu'l-Bahá's passing, he was a sustaining and comforting companion, a most valued counsellor, an intimate and trusted friend. 
- Shoghi Effendi  (From a message dated 21 December 1928; ‘Baha'i Administration’)

“…the first Frenchman to accept the Faith” 
- The Universal House of Justice  (from a message dated August 1976 addressed to the ‘Friends assembled at the International Teaching Conference in Paris’; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)

January 11, 2015

Mrs. Thornburgh-Cropper - the first Baha'i in England


Mrs. Thornburgh-Cropper was the first Baha'i in England and one of the first Western people to recognize the Revelation of Baha'u'llah. She received the name "Maryam Khanum" from 'Abdu'l-Baha. She put her car at the Master's disposal during His visits to London. Her tall, graceful figure with her serene angel face shining beneath a crown of silver hair, her blue eyes, and the soft blend of blues and purples in her dress, gracious to all, and ready to be of constant service to her exalted Guest.

December 6, 2014

Laura Dreyfus-Barney -- “distinguished maidservant”

Laura Dreyfus-Barney
…whose "imperishable service" was to transmit to posterity Some Answered Questions. 
- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated August 1976 addressed to the ‘Friends assembled at the International Teaching Conference in Paris’; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)

November 12, 2014

Zikrullah Khadem

Zikrullah Khadem, at the time of his his first pilgrimage in 1925 to the Baha'i World Center and the presence of Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith. That trip made a deep and lasting impression on Zikrullah.

October 1, 2014

Paul Haney

Paul Haney with Mrs. Hoar, Mrs. de Lagnel and Helen Hoar, circa 1912

August 23, 2014

Amelia Collins - Hand of the Cause of God

Amelia Collins
Amelia Collins was appointed as a Hand of the Cause in 1947 but the appointment was not made public until December 1951. In a letter dated 14 January 1947 written on behalf of the Guardian to Mrs. Collins, his secretary states:

He wants to make clear to you that when he said, in his recent cable,4 that your example might well be emulated by the nine Hands of the Cause, who will in the future be especially chosen to serve the Guardian, he meant that the very services you have been recently rendering the Cause, because of their nature and their intimate association with him, are of the kind which one of these nine might well be called upon to render. So you see you are not only worthy to be a Hand of the Cause, but have rendered a service which ordinarily would be performed by this select body of nine.

April 2, 2014

Hushmand Fatheazam – former member of the Universal House of Justice

Hushmand Fatheazam

We have learned, with profound sadness, of the passing of our dearly cherished, greatly esteemed former colleague Hushmand Fatheazam. Tenderness of spirit, profound knowledge, noble humility, and tireless endeavour characterized his highly valued services rendered over the course of many decades, whether as a member of the Universal House of Justice for forty years beginning in 1963, as Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of India, or as an enkindled pioneer, avid proponent of teaching among the masses, and inspired author. His wholehearted and resolute defence of the community of the Greatest Name was unwavering, and his determination in the face of adversity unyielding. Gifted with a unique eloquence in Persian prose and verse, he leaves a remarkable legacy of deploying the power of that language in service to the Cause. Beyond a distinguished record of consecrated exertion in the path of the Blessed Beauty, he will also be remembered for his manifold outstanding personal qualities, for his delightful humour, and for his kindly and radiant heart that exuded an all-embracing love.

February 22, 2014

William S. Hatcher -- "one of the brightest minds" of the worldwide Baha'i community


William S. Hatcher

In a message of condolence, the Universal House of Justice said that Dr. Hatcher will long be remembered for his "stalwart faith, forceful exposition, and penetrating insights which characterized nearly half a century of ceaseless service to the Baha'i Faith." "The Baha'i world has lost one of its brightest minds, one of its most prolific pens," the Universal House of Justice said.

Dr. Hatcher, 70, died of an illness on 27 November 2005, having made substantial contributions in mathematics, logic, philosophy, religion, and ethics. His popular and scholarly writings and talks were infused with a characteristic clarity of expression, wit, and warmth.

January 11, 2014

Siyyid Husayn-i-Yazdí, surnamed Azíz – “the Báb’s distinguished amanuensis”

[He] had shared His confinement in both Máh-Kú and Chihríq. A man of rich experience and high merit, deeply versed in the teachings of his Master, and enjoying His unqualified confidence, he, refusing every offer of deliverance from the leading officials of Tihrán, yearned unceasingly for the martyrdom which had been denied him on the day the Báb had laid down His life in the barrack-square of Tabríz. A fellow-prisoner of Bahá’u’lláh in the Síyáh-Chál of Tihrán, from Whom he derived inspiration and solace as he recalled those precious days spent in the company of his Master in Ádhirbayján, he was finally struck down, in circumstances of shameful cruelty, by that same Azíz Khán-i-Sardár who had dealt the fatal blow to Táhirih. 
- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

December 16, 2013

Mirza Muhammad 'Aliy-i-Nahri -- father of Munirih Khanum

Mirza Muhammad 'Aliy-i-Nahri - a devout early believer. His daughter, Munirih Khanum, became the wife of 'Abdu'l-Baha.

December 8, 2013

November 23, 2013

James Mbu -- pioneering to Northern Ghana

1956: James Mbu -- a Cameroon believer on his way pioneering to Northern Ghana

September 8, 2013

Leroy Ioas with Amin Banani and Firuz Kazemzadeh

Left to right, Amin Banani, Leroy Ioas, and Firuz Kazemzadeh at 1947 Stanford University graduation